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Happy Music Monday! Halloween is almost upon us, so we've got to get our ducks in a row. Today Scott's looking at songs that are dark and sinister, perfect for a scary-yet-rockin' playlist. He'll be doing an official Halloween theme next week, so save your "Monster Mash" posts until then! This week's for the gothy, smokey, and lightly menacing. Here's an example of what we're talking about:

A band once-beloved by teen vampires in the '80s, "Dominion" hits most of the important Top 40 goth scene notes. There's mysterious Nostradamus-style lyrics that are just vague enough, there's a steady beat you can sway defiantly with, and the short version looks like Highlander 3. But never let it be said that Andrew Eldritch ignores his bandmates. After all, drummer Doktor Avalanche has been a full partner for years.

See? That's the kind of music we're gonna enjoy today. Put on your black lace gloves and a studded wristband and head inside… IF YOU DARE!! Which you probably do, because the music we've picked isn't really very scary at all. See you inside…

When the Fab Four wrote this song, Charles Manson wasn't yet a household name. But listen to it, especially when compared to their earlier work. This is a really an aggressive and freaky song and a huge break from All You Need Is Love. You can really feel that things are starting to reach a breaking point, both inside the band and in the world around them.

Imagine a Moulin Rouge! directed by Tim Burton and Jack White and you'd probably be thinking of this video. "Perfect Drug" showed up at a good time in Trent Reznor's career, when he was already established but maybe not yet in Rock Valhalla. Even though it was for a movie, and it was an experiment, and it wasn't really something he liked, he still scored a respectable hit off this track. It might not be his darkest, but a dark enough blue sure looks like black.

There's not much I can say about these The Girls, because they didn't exist for very long and then other people started using the name. I myself haven't heard any other song by this band, but I'm glad I know this one. It's a nice little ghost story told in about five minutes through a scream of vocals, guitar and electronic beeps. I can't think of another song that even attempts what this one achieves. Good stuff for pre-Halloween.

A tribute to the late, great, best known Dracula, this atmospheric song is a Halloween mixtape favorite. Maybe it's not as authentically creepy as Terror Couple Kill Colonel, but it's still a classic. And it'll sound great on the Spotify playlist next week, right?

Hey, speaking of which, add your songs in the forums and help us make a dark and spooky mix! Remember, save the Halloween songs for seven more days, because that'll be next Monday's theme. In the meantime, come hang out in our Turntable.fm room for the regular Music Monday enjoyment and some crazy new Halloween avatars. Also, let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use.

CowboyDann

How about anything off this record?
(Edit: I guess pictures aren't working. Soundtracks for the blind though, by swans}

Or anything written by Michael Gira in general? I listened to Swans Exclusively for a couple months and went into the strangest depression. Music can really mess you up, especially if you just listen to swans.

mossygreen

CowboyDann wrote:Or anything written by Michael Gira in general? I listened to Swans Exclusively for a couple months and went into the strangest depression. Music can really mess you up, especially if you just listen to swans.

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